If you’re not gonna

finish stuff,

don’t start it.

     I’ve seen guys who are so slow, you’d think they were going uphill in molasses, backwards, in the middle of a blizzard. And the flip side brings out the best in frenzied, knee-jerk, entrepreneurs with maniac schedules. Then there’s the workaholics who barricade themselves off from the rest of the world to avoid dealing with feelings of intimacy.

     This is, curiously, also one of the main (usually unconscious) reasons for obesity: it’s hard to express feelings when food is going down the throat. So, here we have those who want to work themselves to death, those who prefer death, and don’t those who don’t want to work at all. What a choice!

     My father always told me,“If you’re gonna do something half-assed, don’t do it at all!” and I guess that stuck, but I must admit there have been times when I sure wished I had the capacity to choose to just wing it, instead of seeing a task all the way through to the end. Well, I suppose that sets the stage for taking a brief look at quitters.

     Who cares? I do. Okay, well maybe I don’t anymore; but I did. I always believed in learning something from everyone. Quitters were no exception. What I learned from these partly-pregnant people (and that, believe me, is one very big feat!) is that they shouldn’t be functioning in today’s business world. But they are.

• I have had no fewer than four clients I can recall who hired me, paid me, put me through the wringer with meaningless changes, told me they were delighted with my work, and even paid the next level of application (printer, website designer, and media people), but never finished the job. Two even paid extra for “exceptional” work!
• One guy delayed printing a brochure I wrote for him for ten months. He paid me and he paid the printer nine months ago. Then one day he decided to finish the job which was — by then — practically outdated, but that didn’t matter.
• A website client had me write ten pages on a “rush” basis, hurry to get the site designed, pay everyone involved, put the site on a disk, and pack it away. Now, a year and a half later, she decided she wants to launch it. Go figure.
• Another individual contracted me for writing his business plan, which he said he loved, and then put it on the shelf to collect dust. I could go on. It simply amazes me that people do this.

     Having a sense of urgency about your business will carry your business through the lean times. Foot-dragging will simply be a ball and chain affair in trying to address business ambitions (if there are any). Who could ever know what goes on in these minds? I’m happy to report that most clients I’ve had, have made great successes of the materials I’ve created for them.

     They take the marketing plans and programs and materials and run. And when more business comes in the door, they come back to me for more. That’s the stuff that makes it all worthwhile.

     The other stuff? The stuff that never gets finished? Don’t bother to start it. And if you do, start it somewhere else where people appreciate lethargy and indecision. I’ve learned all I can learn from those folks: that half-hearted leaders get half-hearted results!   

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Hal@Businessworks.US 302.933.0116

Open Minds Open Doors

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